"Sally, hold this as I showed you before," Peri instructed as she handed her a white stone.

Sally cupped the stone in her hands and held it reverently out in front of her. She closed her eyes and began to seek out the magic that lived inside her, that was a part of her essence.

Rachel held a green stone and Peri held a blue one and a red one. These stones were the Stones of the Fae. They represented the elements, and just as the witch could draw on the elements using blood magic, the Fae could draw on them using the stones. The stones came from deep in the realm of the veil. Peri tried to explain how that was possible, but Sally finally told her she would just take her at her word.

They stood in a semi circle, facing the field, and closed their eyes. Peri began to chant in a language she had only just begun to teach to Rachel and Sally. Nevertheless, the two joined her chant and Sally tried very hard to keep her eyes closed and focus steady. Peri had explained that she would have to keep from being distracted, that it would take the combined, directed magic of the three of them to take on the witch. And so they began.

"Uh, babe. You seeing what I'm seeing?" Jen asked Decebel as they moved out onto the field. In her wolf form she could see through the darkness with no problem and therefore saw very clearly what was coming for them across the field.

"Stay to the back of the pack, Jennifer. Go for the smaller prey. And for the love of all things worth fighting for, don't try to be a freaking hero."

"You're confidence in me is astounding, Dec. Really, I'm touched," Jen growled at him.

Decebel chuckled in response.

Doing as he asked, she and Jacque began to slow their run and pull back to the rear of the pack. Crina and Cynthia came alongside, them giving them short yips in greeting. As the four she-wolves began to get closer, they all came to a complete stop when they saw the first wave of wolves meet with the witch's hoard.

Jen had watched many a battle on the big screen and always wondered if it would be that brutal or worse in real life. She decided right then that it was worse. Much worse.

Vasile, Decebel, Fane, Dillon and the other Alphas crashed into the wolves and bears – snarls, teeth snapping, and movements quicker than the eye could track. Jen watched in rapt awe as her white-pawed mate ripped through a bear as if it were a small rabbit. He lunged for the bear's throat and with a mighty tear of his head, the bear's neck burst open. Blood splattered Decebel's fur as the bear crashed to the wet ground. He didn't pause, moving on to the next opponent.

To the far left, Elle and Adam – the two Fae who had saved their butts earlier – were battling it out using their magic and Jen had to admit she was impressed with their moves. None of their opponents got even close to them before they were brought down.

Jacque stepped forward and crouched low, lifting her lips in a deadly snarl. Jen waswith her. It was time to kick some evil ass.

Jen and Jacque took off at the same time, with Crina and Cynthia close at their heels. Jen focused on some small foxes she saw along the edge of the battle, veering right. Jacque and the others moved with her. She saw Alina fighting with another wolf and Jen adjusted her direction again, heading to help their Alpha female.

Jen and Jacque lunged at the same time. Jen grabbed one of the wolf's back legs and snapped her jaws, feeling the bone snap satisfyingly beneath her teeth. Jacque had her mouth on the wolf's head, biting down with crushing force. While Jen and Jacque had the wolf occupied, Alina went in for the kill. Grabbing the throat of the wolf, she jerked her head and snapped its neck. The three let go of the wolf at the same time. Jen and Jacque both bared their necks to Alina in submission and from that moment on the females all worked in sync, taking down foe after foe together in ambush.

Jen didn't know how long they had been fighting, but she figured she should be getting tired. Instead, she was as energetic as ever. The adrenaline and stamina of her wolf were aw- inspiring. Just as they finished off a large bear, they froze. The downpour had suddenly ceased.

Jen and Jacque both looked up to the hill where Peri, Rachel, and Sally stood. A soft glow appeared around them and began to get brighter. Whatever they were doing, it was working.

Suddenly, a howl went up and Jen knew instinctively that it was her Alpha, Vasile. The compulsion to join in the victory howl rose in her throat. With the rest of her pack she lifted her head toward the moon and let out an ear-splitting howl.

As the howl died down she looked out into the battle field and saw that not a single animal was left standing aside from the packs. They had done it. That thought lasted all of two seconds before the ground began to shake under her paws. She shifted nervously and Jacque came and stood closer to her. They watched in horror as it appeared as though the very land was coming alive beyond the treeline. But it wasn't the land, it was what moved swiftly across the land. The Serbian pack had come. They swarmed over a hill, charging down into the valley, straight at them. And so the battle continued.

Decebel growled low as he watched the Serbian pack running for them. He waited, let his enemy run and wear themselves down, if only a little. He looked to Vasile, who stood tall and proud, Fane on his other side in the same stance. Their fur was covered in the evil blood of their enemies, their bodies tense from the fight. Decebel lowered himself to the ground, ready to lunge. He waited, held still for the perfect moment and as the first wolf lunged himself into the air, Decebel struck, going just under him, running his sharp canines along the tender, vulnerable underside of the wolf's stomach. Decebel tasted the wolf's blood as he tore through fur, flesh, and muscle. He didn't stop to see if his rival fell.